Methods and systems for purchase of commodities

ABSTRACT

The invention is directed to methods and systems for commodities procurement with concomitant hedging. The invention enables automatic commodity purchase at a desired basis level when a seller&#39;s price matches a buyer&#39;s basis bid and concomitantly automatically placing an electronic commodities order to hedge the buyer&#39;s purchase.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to methods and systems for purchasingcommodities with concomitant hedging.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today, the Internet hosts a multitude of sites and protocols whereby thesale of goods and commodities can be consummated. The majority of suchsites and protocols are seller oriented where a seller advertises goodsor commodities to a multitude of buyers to achieve an optimized sellingprice. The seller's goal is straightforward, i.e., once the goods aresold, the seller has achieved his objective.

Commodity buyers often hedge their purchases against the listed exchangerate for the same or a different commodity. For example, buyers ofagricultural products often sell futures contracts at the exchange ratelisted by the Chicago Board of Trade to hedge their purchases (i.e.,take a short futures position). These “hedge purchasers” face a morecomplicated series of transactions than do sellers. Thus, it is notsurprising that the seller-oriented platforms currently available on theInternet do not fully satisfy the hedge buyer's needs. First, the buyermust advertise a bid price to a plurality of sellers. Since the buyerwill hedge his purchase, his bid price is based on the exchange ratelisted for a particular hedge commodity (which may be the same commodityhe is seeking to purchase). Since the hedge commodity's exchange rate isconstantly fluctuating, the buyer must constantly adjust and post hiscurrent bid price. Furthermore, once the buyer buys, he shouldimmediately complete the hedge transaction to avoid adverse price shiftsof the hedge commodity.

A futures contract is a standardized contract to make or take deliveryof a commodity or financial instrument at a predetermined time andplace. Thus, a futures contract locks in a price for a future date. Someof the most popular futures contracts traded in the United States todayare equity-based contracts such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average;interest rate contracts such as Treasury bonds and Treasury notes;agricultural contracts, such as corn, soybeans, and wheat; and preciousmetals, such as silver and gold.

Hedging is the practice of offsetting the price risk inherent in anycash market position by taking an equal but opposite position in thefutures market. Hedgers use the futures markets to protect theirbusiness from adverse price changes. Thus, hedgers try to protectthemselves from an inherent price risk associated with a future purchaseor sale of an asset. A wide variety of institutions and individualshedge, such as mortgage bankers, stock portfolio holders, foodprocessors, and farmers. The classic example of a hedger using thefutures market as a risk management tool is a farmer. Buyers ofcommodities often take a short futures position, which is a position inthe market where one has sold futures contracts to offset risk. Becauseof the complexity of completing a transaction, hedge buyers generallyspend long hours on the phone to transmit bids, consummate sales, andplace their hedge.

Grain elevators provide facilities for elevating, storing, discharging,and sometimes processing grain. Country elevator operators, who generatea majority of their revenue through put-through and storage charges,have little desire to take on risk and thus hedge grain purchasesagainst the futures price listed at the Chicago Board of Trade.Currently, grain elevators and grain producers conduct a majority oftheir business by phone. Elevator operators are constantly on the phonetrying to find grain. Once the buyer locates a seller for the desiredgrain, he then needs to negotiate the price. After the grain ispurchased, the buyer then needs to call a futures broker to place afutures hedge on the grain just purchased. Then the buyer starts theprocess all over again. An elevator operator may have anywhere from 100to 2,000 different producers calling to check prices daily. It is verydifficult for a buyer to remember who is offering what amount and atwhat price. With the futures price constantly changing, local basislevels constantly changing, and the phone-ringing non-stop it isdifficult to execute transactions in an orderly fashion.

There are several factors that can simultaneously affect the price agrain elevator operator is willing to pay at a given time. In general,an elevator operator calculates his bid price based on a basis, which isthe difference between the grain's current local cash price for aspecific delivery period and the futures option price the commodity isbeing put against. The elevator buys the product this way because itmakes it easier for them to hedge their purchases. When a grain producercalls to get a bid for his product, the elevator operator adds orsubtracts his local cash basis from the Chicago Board of Trade futuresprice to come up with a flat price to quote to the grain producer.

Because hedge buyers (e.g., grain elevator operators) face a complicatedseries of transactions that require numerous hours on the telephone,there is a need for improved methods and systems for purchasingcommodities with concomitant hedging.

3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to methods and systems for purchase ofcommodities with concomitant hedging. Multiple buyers and sellers canparticipate in the platform for any number of different commodities. Theinvention enables a prospective buyers of commodities the opportunity toautomatically procure the commodity at a desired basis level when aseller's price matches a buyer's basis bid, and automatically place anelectronic order for a listed commodity to hedge the purchase (“hedgecommodity”). The methods and systems of the invention further enable thesellers to: (1) place an offer to sell to a buyer or place the sameoffer to sell to multiple buyers; (2) view buyer information and selectthe particular buyers with which to transmit sell data, e.g., based onbuyer's requested delivery point; (3) continually monitor the buyers'basis bids, for example, from a Web site; (4) be notified when the selldata conforms to the buy data of a buyer. In one embodiment, sellerswill manipulate their sell data to conform to the buyer's bid data,thus, the closest buyer will typically prevail and win the seller'soffer. A buyer can specify multiple delivery options; his basis willtypically reflect, among other variables, his costs corresponding to theparticular point of delivery.

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the invention arebetter understood with regard to the following description, appendedclaims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the invention forpurchase of a commodity with a concomitant hedge transaction;

FIG. 2 a illustrates a preferred network for use in the invention;

FIG. 2 b illustrates a typical server for use in the invention;

FIG. 3 is an outline of the preferred system architecture and operationof the methods and systems of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a central station of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a diagram summarizing the software of the invention.

5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the invention.First, as indicated in Box 1, a buyer (or multiple buyers) provides biddata on the invention's network platform for a commodity desired to bepurchased (“purchase commodity”) using the methods and systems of theinvention. According to the invention, the commodity the buyer wishes topurchase can be any item or service (see definition section 5.2). It isnot required for the purchase commodity to be listed on an exchange.Each buyer participating in the platform may desire to purchase the sameor a different commodity. Bid data typically includes the bid price,quantity desired, and point of delivery and, optionally, other relevantdata. Of course, relevant data will vary depending on the commodity.Examples of relevant data include, but are not limited to, quantitysought, quality, delivery date, and delivery place etc.

Typically, a buyer selects the listed commodity with which he will hedgehis purchase (i.e., the hedge commodity) to calculate the bid price. Themethods and systems of the invention can receive and process real-timeexchange rate quotes for listed commodities. Using these real-timequotes, the methods and systems of the invention can automatically andcontinually calculate and update the bid price based on the hedgecommodity's real time quote. For example, the invention canautomatically and continually calculate and update the buyers' bidprices by subtracting the buyer's basis from the real-time exchange-ratequote for the hedge commodity. Alternatively, the buyers can calculate abid separately from the software and enter it manually.

As illustrated in Box 2, the buyers enter information respecting a hedgetransaction. Typically this includes the hedge commodity to be purchasedor sold, the amount, the introducing broker or futures clearing merchantfrom which it can be purchased, and ID or account numbers required bythe introducing broker or futures clearing merchant. Typically, thehedge transaction will be executed at the time that a seller agrees tosell a commodity on the terms specified by the buyers.

Next, as indicated in Box 3, one or more sellers will review the biddata and submit sell data for the purchase commodity to the networkplatform. Sell data includes sell price and other relevant data, hereintermed “sell data parcels”. As with the bid data, relevant sell datawill vary depending on the commodity, for example, quantity for sale,quality, and proposed delivery date and place etc.

Next, as indicated in Box 4, the methods and systems of the inventionmonitor the bid and sell data to identify conformance between the biddata and a particular seller's sell data. Depending on the commodity,conformance might require only a match in sell and buy price or mayrequire the seller's commodity to conform with other specifications,such as quality, age, color, or type etc.

Preferably, as indicated in Box 5, when a conformance occurs, theprogram automatically alerts the conforming buyer and conforming seller(preferably by e-mail) and automatically discontinues that buyer's bid.

As indicated in Box 6, the methods and systems of the inventionautomatically transmit the hedge transaction programmed by conformingbuyer to an introducing broker or futures clearing merchant. Forexample, a futures clearing merchant, such as Advanced Trading, willelectronically send a futures order to a trade executor, such as EDFMAN,which has trading terminals on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade.

Preferably, the methods and systems of the invention are Web based andlocated on a Web server. In a preferred embodiment, the Web site willfurther comprise information relevant to the commodities purchased andsold. For example, a Web site of the invention directed to agriculturalcommodities might display relevant current news, weather, and marketinformation as well as a “Local Trends” section that allows the buyer toprovide their own daily commentary of local information.

A preferred network for use in the invention is illustrated in FIG. 2 a.A plurality of personal computers 20, are connected to an Internetservice provider (ISP) 25 via a network connections 30, such as a modemand dialup telephone line, a digital subscriber line (“DSL”), or a cablemodem connection. Internet service provider 25 interfaces with network35, which comprises a plurality of Web content servers 40, includingservers for control of domain-name resolution, routing, and othercontrol functions

The personal computers typically are configured with common Internettools, including a Web browser to access servers 40 and specializedprograms to connect with certain services. These services includeelectronic mail, one-to-many messaging (bulletin board), on-line chat,file transfer, and browsing. Browsing is effected using the HypertextTransfer Protocol (HTTP), which provides users access to multimediafiles using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The entire system ofpersonal computers, internet service providers, and servers is calledthe Internet. The collection of servers 40 that use HTTP comprise theWorld Wide Web, which is the Internet's multimedia information deliverysystem.

FIG. 2 b provides the details of a typical server 40 for use in theinvention. Server engine 45 receives HTTP requests to access the Webpages 50 identified by Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) and provides theWeb pages as an interface to the requesting personal computer 20. Thedatabases 55 contain various tables storing information such as buyerand seller information.

5.1 System Architecture and Operation

Referring to FIG. 3, a preferred embodiment of the invention comprisescentral station 100, buyer interface 200 (e.g., a Web page), buyerinterface provider 250 (e.g., a computer used to access and display abuyer interface Web page), one or more seller interfaces 300, and theircorresponding seller interface providers 350. In operation, a buyerenters hedge transaction data and bid data, including a bid pricethrough interface 200 for transmittal to central station 100. The buyercan continually update the bid price and other bid data as appropriate.Alternatively, since the software of the invention can receive real-timeexchange-rate quotes for listed commodities; the buyer can rely onsoftware of the invention to automatically and continually calculate abid price based on the real-time quote. For example, the software of theinvention can automatically and continually calculate a bid price bysubtracting the buyer's basis from a real-time exchange-rate quote for aparticular commodity. Typically, the buyer selects the commodity withwhich he will hedge his purchase (i.e., the hedge commodity) tocalculate the bid price.

Sellers review the bid data through seller interfaces 300 and transmitsell data, including a sell price to central station 100. The softwareof the invention monitors the bid and sell data and identifies when thesell data conforms to the bid data (e.g., a match of sell price with buyprice). When conformance occurs, the software of the inventionautomatically alerts the buyer and seller (preferably by e-mail),automatically discontinues the bid, and automatically transmits thehedge transaction to an introducing broker or futures clearing merchant400 respecting a listed commodity (selected by the buyer) by way oftrading interface 450 to hedge the buyer's purchase. Each of buyerinterface 200, seller interface 300, and trading interface 400communicate with central station 100 via network connections 500.

Any conventional personal computer, computer workstation, or server withsufficient memory and processing capability may be used as centralstation 100. In one embodiment, central station 100 is a buyer'spersonal computer. In another embodiment, central station 100 is anapplication service provider or a Web server providing a Web page. As isunderstood by those of skill in the art, an application service provideris an entity that offers individuals and enterprises access toapplications and related services through the Internet (or othernetwork) that would otherwise have to be located in local computersand/or devices.

As shown in FIG. 4, central station 100 comprises central processor unit(“CPU”) 110, data-storage device 120, software of the invention 140,random access memory (“RAM”) 145, and operating system 165.

Examples of processors suitable for use in the invention include, butare not limited to, those sold by Sun Microsystems, Motorola, and Intel.

The RAM should preferably be of the error-correcting code (ECC) memorytype and should be from 512 MB to 1 GB in total capacity.

The operating system should be robust and provide for security of thedata in storage. Exemplary operating system include LINUX®, UNIX,Windows 2000®, or Windows NT®.

Data-storage device 120 stores information necessary to processtransactions. The data-storage device should provide for re-writabledata and should provide redundancy via mirroring or error correction(RAID), and it should have a fast interface to the operating system sothat data can be made readily available to the network. Suitabledata-storage devices include hard disks. Data-storage device 120comprises: (1) buyer table 122; (2) seller table 124; (3) bid and sellprice table 126; and (4) commodities table 128.

Buyer table 122 stores buyer information, such as name, buyeridentification number, contact information, email address, etc.

Seller table 124 stores seller information, such as a unique selleridentification number, contact information, email address, paymentpreferences, credit, delivery record, type of business, and commoditiessold, etc. The seller table contains a mapping from each selleridentification number to the seller interface that is provided by acollection of dynamic web pages.

Bid and sell-price table 126 stores bid prices and sell pricescorresponding to the commodity bid on and the buyer's and seller'sidentity as well as other information about the pending transaction(e.g., quantity sought, quality, delivery date, and other relevantinformation).

Commodities table 128 stores a list of commodities that can be traded onthe platform as well as information about each commodity. Relevantinformation will vary depending on the commodity. For example, a grainelevator bidding for grain might maintain a list of past bids, grainfutures prices, basis information, supply issues, etc.

In a preferred embodiment, database software, such as SQL Server,manufactured by the Microsoft Corporation, is used to create and managethe database and tables. Other relational database products (e.g., thosemanufactured by Oracle Corp.) can be used for data storage management.

Referring to FIG. 3, buyer and seller interfaces 200 and 300 display ortransmit, a user friendly set of pictures, text, or voice statementsthat provide instructions and protocols indicating how a user is tocommunicate with and use the platform of the invention and direct thecomputer software of the invention located on the user's computer 250 or350 or on central station 100. For example, the interfaces will promptfor and accept passwords, provide prompts for data entry, and displayinformation stored in the data tables, etc. Interface 200 and 300 areaccessed and displayed by an interface providers 250 and 350,preferably, personal computers having an input device, such as akeyboard, mouse, or conventional voice-recognition software package; adisplay device, such as a video monitor; and a network connection suchas a modem.

5.1.1 Software of the Invention

FIG. 5 is a diagram summarizing the software of the invention, whichcomprises:

-   -   (1) a program to receive real-time commodity exchange-rate        quotes from an exchange, an introducing broker, or futures        clearing merchant;    -   (2) a program to automatically calculate a buyer's bid based on        the exchange-rate quote for a commodity;    -   (2) a database for receiving dynamic data;    -   (3) a program for displaying, entering, and transmitting bid and        sell price data to the buyer and seller interfaces;    -   (4) a program to identify when sell data conforms to bid data,        withdraw buyer bid, and alert the buyer and seller of the match;        and    -   (5) a program to automatically transmit a hedge transaction to        an introducing broker or futures clearing merchant.

The software of the invention comprises a program to receive and processreal-time exchange rate quotes for listed commodities (505). Thisfunctions in conjunction with a program that can automatically andcontinually calculate and update the bid price based on the real timequote (510).

Software of the invention comprises dynamic database (515) for receivingdynamic data, such as the real-time exchange-rate quotes.

The software of the invention further comprises a program (520) fordisplaying, entering, and transmitting bid and sell-price data from andto the buyer and seller interfaces. Thus, sellers can review the bidthrough the seller interface and transmit sell prices to the centralstation for matching with the bid price.

The software of the invention further comprises a program (525) tomonitor the bid and sell prices, to identify conformance between a biddata and a particular seller's sell data, and to identify thecorresponding seller. When a conformance occurs, the programautomatically alerts the buyer and seller (preferably by e-mail) andautomatically discontinues the buyer's bid. Depending on the commodity,conformance might require only a match in sell and buy price or mayrequire the seller's commodity to conform with other specifications,such as quality, age, color, or type etc.

The software further comprises a program (530) to automatically transmita hedge transaction to introducing broker or futures clearing merchant400 respecting the hedge commodity (selected by the buyer).

There are many commercial software applications that can enable thecommunications required by seller interface 200, buyer interface 300,and commodity trading interface 450. Eudora Pro manufactured by QualcommInc., for example, provides editing tools for the creation of messagesas well as the communications tools to send the message to theappropriate electronic address. When central station 100 is configuredas a Web server, conventional communications software such as InternetInformation Server, for delivering web pages, and Internet Explorer, forviewing web pages, by Microsoft Corp. can be used.

Preferably, the software of the invention is Web based and located on aWeb server. Software of the invention is readily designed by one ofskill in the art or available commercially.

5.1.2 Calculation of the Bid Price by the Buyer

A buyer calculates a bid price based on many different factors andvariables including the nature of the commodity sought and the listedhedge commodity, their current exchange rate, market trends, etc. Forexample, a buyer may calculate his bid price by subtracting a basis fromthe current exchange rate of a particular listed hedge commodity.

Typically, a grain elevator will calculate a bid price for a desiredquantity of grain by subtracting a basis. The basis is the arithmeticaldifference between the local cash price for the grain and itscorresponding futures price listed by the Chicago Board of Trade at apoint in time. This allows the elevator to effectively hedge hispurchase of grain. Although cash and futures prices do not alwaysparallel one another, often a cash-price shift results in a similarfutures shift, particularly if some unexpected event causes a violentprice change. The basis may, among other things, reflect the elevator'sexpenses and allow for a profit. Basis considerations for an elevatorpurchasing grain might include local supply issues, such as thepredicted quality of the coming year's crop and local demand issues, aswell as national and world grain indicators. For discussions, seeTEWELES ET AL., THE FUTURES GAME; WHO WINS WHO LOSES AND WHY 33 (1987);HENRY B. AUTHUR, COMMODITY FUTURES AS A BUSINESS MANAGEMENT TOOL 64-69(1971), both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

5.1.3 The Seller's Interface and Posting the Sell Data

Initially, the seller must establish an account with the buyer.Typically this requires the seller to provide name, address, contactinformation, credit information, etc. The seller will calculate his sellprice based on a number of different factors specific for the commodityhe wishes to sell. Cost of delivering the commodity to the buyer uponsale “freight” costs is typically included, particularly in sellingagricultural products, such as grain. Thus, a farmer will firstcalculate a “net” sell price and add a different freight cost dependingon the buyer's location.

The seller logs onto central station 100 through the seller interface300, establishing a communication link by entering a password or sellerID. The seller may be an individual, a corporation, a partnership, agovernment, or any other entity. In one embodiment, central station 100has a page on the World Wide Web, allowing the seller to provideinformation through the interface of conventional Web browser.

The software of the invention allows the seller to access, throughseller interface 300, the buyer's platform at central station 100 and toview the buyer's bid price and specifications for the desired commodity.More or less information will be available to the seller depending onthe commodity's nature and the buyer's platform policy.

The seller can then enter a firm sell price as well as other requiredinformation according to the platform policy. The offer will remain openfor a period of time depending on the platform policy.

The seller logs onto the platform (typically hosted and operated by thebuyer) and enters information required by the platform policy, such asseller information, quantity, delivery date, sell price, etc. Asdiscussed above, a multitude of sellers can be logged on a buyer'splatform and bid against one another.

Authentication of the seller's identity involves central station 100extracting the seller ID from seller response and looking up theseller's identity in seller table 124. Information in seller table 124provides an indication of the seller's ability to deliver the goods. Ifnecessary, central station 100 can verify that the seller can providethe specific commodity. In another embodiment, the seller adds in hisresponse to the buyer's bid that a contract is agreed to, for example, adigital signature.

Central station 100 then verifies the status of the bid to determinewhether it is still active. In one embodiment, if the bid is stillactive a unique tracking number can be added to seller response. Centralstation 100 then stores the seller's response. If the bid is not active,the seller response is refused by central station 100 and transmittedback to the potential seller.

In another embodiment, the seller transmits the seller response directlyto the buyer. The buyer may then send the seller a response throughcentral station 100 for verification and authentication, or he maychoose to accept seller response without verification andauthentication.

The software and platform of the invention monitors the sell price dataand bid price data to detect conformation therebetween. Conformance canoccur if, for example, the bid price matches the sell price: (1) sellerlowers the sell price to equal the bid price, or (2) the buyer raisesthe bid until it equals the sell price. The seller can monitor thebuyer's bid prices, perhaps adjust his sell price, or simply turn offhis computer and wait for the buyer's bid to match the sell price.

An example of what information a seller's interface (here seller A)might display according to the invention is shown in Tables 1.1-1.3below. Values are included in Table 1 for exemplary purposes. In thisexample, the seller entered the platform of the invention, for example,by way of a Web page interface, viewed buy data for a plurality ofbuyers, and chose to offer to sell to buyer's 001, 002, and 003 at aspecific price based on the commodity they offered to buy, theirlocation (e.g., to account for delivery costs), their buy price, andother information.

TABLE 1.1 Seller's Interface For Buyer 001 buyer: 001 quantityrequested: 100 units delivery date: immediately delivery location: buyer001's address Time quantity for sale sell price buyer's bid difference 1100 units $10.00/unit $9.95/unit $0.05 2 100 units $10.00/unit$9.98/unit $0.02 3 100 units $10.00/unit $10.00/unit $0.0 (sold)

TABLE 1.2 Seller's Interface For Buyer 002 buyer: 002 quantityrequested: 100 units delivery date: immediately delivery location: buyer002's address Time quantity for sale sell price buyer's bid difference 1100 units $10.10/unit $9.96/unit $0.14 2 100 units $10.10/unit$9.97/unit $0.13 3 100 units $10.10/unit $8.80/unit $0.30

TABLE 1.3 Seller's Interface For Buyer 003 buyer: 003 quantityrequested: 100 units delivery date: immediately delivery location: buyer003's address Time quantity for sale sell price buyer's bid difference 1100 units $10.20/unit $9.90/unit $0.30 2 100 units $10.20/unit$9.91/unit $0.29 3 100 units $10.20/unit $9.92/unit $0.28

Tables 1.1-1.3 illustrate the general case where a seller A entered asell price and waited for one of a plurality of buyer's—seeking topurchase seller A's commodity—bid to match the sell price. This occurredat time point 3. At this time, the software would automatically withdrawbuyer 001's bid from the platform; notify the conforming buyer andseller of the match, preferably by e-mail; and execute the buyer's hedgetransaction. At time point 3, the match could have occurred by eitherthe software and platform of the invention automatically updating thebuyer's bid price (e.g., by calculating a new bid price based on thecurrent exchange rate of a listed commodity) or the buyer manuallyentered a new, higher bid price that matched seller 001's sell price.

5.1.4 The Buyer Interface and Posting the Bid Data

The software of the invention allows the buyer to access, through buyerinterface 200, the platform at central station 100 where he can: (1)Post a bid data, such as post a bid price for a particular amount of aparticular commodity of particular type or quality and instruct thesoftware whether the bid is to be continually updated according to theexchange rate for a particular listed commodity. The buyer can specifythe particular quality desired, for example, agricultural products mighthave to meet certain quality specifications; (2) Program a specifichedge transaction for a particular hedge commodity that the softwarewill automatically execute upon sale consummation; and (3) viewinformation respecting a plurality of sellers, including the sellprices.

Table 2 below is a general example of information that might bedisplayed on the buyer's interface 200 for a bid to purchase acommodity. The buyer receives a plurality of sell prices for the desiredcommodity. In this case, three sellers (ID Nos. 001, 002, and 003) haveposted offers to sell and sell prices on the buyer's platform.

TABLE 2 Buyer's Experience buyer: 001 quantity requested: 100 unitsdelivery date: immediately delivery location: buyer 001's address Timequantity for sale sell price buyer's bid difference Seller ID No. 001 1100 units $10.00/unit $9.95/unit $0.05 2 100 units $10.00/unit$9.98/unit $0.02 3 100 units $10.00/unit $9.50/unit $0.50 Seller ID No.002 1 100 units $10.50/unit $9.95/unit $0.55 2 100 units $10.50/unit$9.98/unit $0.52 3 100 units $10.50/unit $9.50/unit $1.00 Seller ID No.003 1 100 units $10.00/unit $9.95/unit $0.05 2 100 units $10.00/unit$9.98/unit $0.02 3 100 units $9.50/unit $9.50/unit $0.0 (sold)

In the above example, seller 003 sold 100 units of a commodity to thebuyer 001 for $9.50 per unit. The sale was consummated upon the seller'slowering his sell price to match the buyer's bid price. Simultaneously,the buyer's bid was withdrawn from the platform and the hedgetransaction programmed by the buyer was automatically executed.

5.1.5 Placing the Hedge Transaction

As discussed above, in a preferred embodiment, the software of theinvention automatically executes a hedge transaction for the buyer whenthe sell-price and buy-price data match. The software of the inventionprompts the buyer through buyer interface 200 to enter the hedgetransaction data, such as the hedge commodity, the amount, and manner inwhich the transaction is to be executed. Referring to FIG. 3, when thebuy data and sell data conform, the software of the inventionautomatically transmits the hedge order to central station 100 where itis processed as appropriate, for example, electronically directed tointroducing broker or futures clearing merchant 400.

The execution can be any means effective to notify an introducing brokeror futures clearing merchant to place the order to buy or sell the hedgecommodity. For example, the software of the invention can be configuredto transmit an electronic mail or voice mail order to an introducingbroker or futures clearing merchant. The broker can read the e-mail orlisten to the voice mail and then execute the transaction. Preferably,the software of the invention is configured to directly buy or sell thehedge commodity through a commodities-trading interface 450 (FIG. 3).Many exchanges, introducing broker or futures clearing merchants operatetrading platforms that instantaneously mediate binding, direct purchaseor sale of listed commodities through electronic trading software.

For example, the Chicago Board of Trade's Electronic Open Outcry Marketenables futures clearing merchant member firms to electronically managecustomer business from both off-floor and on-floor locations. Thecrucial component is that an electronic customer order ticket (e-ticket)is created during the order initiation phase and new information isadded to that original order during the trade execution and tradeprocessing phases.

During the order initiation phase, the order is electronically createdby software of the invention through an Internet order entry system. Inthe trade execution phase, the broker receives the electronic orderticket. The broker executes the order and adds the execution price andopposing firm/broker information to the ticket. The broker also addstrade endorsement data to a flashed-order ticket. Then the tickets areelectronically returned to the futures clearing merchant member firm.

In the trade confirmation/processing phase, the futures clearingmerchant order entry staff (and Internet customer) receive theelectronic trade confirmation. The futures clearing merchant back officealso receives that same electronic trade ticket. There, additionalaccount information is automatically downloaded onto the order ticketand the ticket is sent on to clearing for trade matching on a real-timebasis.

5.2 Definitions

As used herein, the term “network” means any system of two or moreinterconnected computers. Examples of networks include, but are notlimited to, the Internet and other Wide Area Networks (WANs), and LocalArea Networks (LANs).

As used herein, the phrase “network connection” means any channel bywhich a person, party, or business entity can interface or communicatewith a network. Examples of network connections include, but are notlimited to, telephone lines by way of internal or external modems,digital subscriber lines (“DSL”), voice mail and voice pages; dedicateddata lines; cellular phone communication; communication by way ofsatellite; and cable television lines.

As used herein, the term “platform” means a system of software andhardware located on a network that performs a function, such asproviding services or information and which is accessible through anetwork interface.

As used herein, the phrase “platform policy” means a set of rules andprotocols governing access to and use of services offered on a platform.Platform policies will govern access to and use of services offeredthrough a Web page, voice page, or other network interface. Examples ofplatform rules include entry of passwords and account information,payment of fees, prohibited use of profane language, methods of payment,and dates when payments are due.

As used herein, the term “interface” means a displayed or transmitted,user friendly set of pictures, text, or voice statements that provideinstructions and protocols indicating how a user is to communicate andinteract with a platform. For example, an interface allows a user todirect computer software located on the user's computer or within anetwork. Examples of interfaces include, but are not limited to, Webpages, e-mail transmittals, voice pages, voice mail instructions, andfacsimile transmissions (fax). An interface is displayed or provided byan “interface provider”, for example, a personal computer displaying aWeb page interface.

As used herein, the term “automatically” means execution by computersoftware upon occurrence of an event or satisfaction of a conditionwithout instruction from or intervention of a user.

As used herein, the term “buyer” means any person, party, or businessentity that desires to purchase a commodity.

As used herein, the term “seller” means any person, party, or businessentity that desires to sell a commodity.

As used herein, the term “commodity” means any good or service that canbe purchased.

As used herein, the phrase “listed commodity” means any commodity thatis listed on an exchange. Exchanges include, but are not limited toUnited States exchanges, for example, American Stock Exchange, ChicagoBoard of Exchange, Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Mercantile Exchange,Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange, Currenex (currency exchange), Futurecom:Electronic Trading Exchange, International Securities Exchange(options), NASDAQ Stock Market, New York Board of Trade, New York CottonExchange, New York Mercantile Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, OTCBulletin Board, Arizona Stock Exchange, Boston Stock Exchange, ChicagoStock Exchange, Cincinnati Stock Exchange, Iowa Electronic Markets,Kansas City Board of Trade, Mid America Commodity Exchange, MinneapolisGrain Exchange, Pacific Exchange, Philadelphia Stock Exchange, San DiegoStock Exchange, Archipelago (ARCA), Attain (ATTN), Bloomberg Tradebook(BTRD), GlobeNet, Island (ISLD), Instinet (INCA), MarketXT, NexTrade(NTRD), onExchange, Primex, REDIbook (REDI), and Strike (STRK); Canadaexchanges, such as Canadian Venture Exchange (merger of the Alberta andVancouver exchanges), Montreal Exchange (Bourse de Montréal),Nasdaq-Canada, Toronto Stock Exchange, Winnipeg Commodity Exchange, andWinnipeg Stock Exchange; European exchanges, for example, EASDAQ (seeNASDAQ Europe), Eurex: The European Derivatives Market, Euronext (mergerof the Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris exchanges), InternationalPetroleum Exchange, Jiway.com, NASDAQ Europe; Austrian Exchanges, forexample, NEWEX, and Wiener Börse (Vienna Stock Exchange and AustrianFutures & Options Exchange); French exchanges, for example, Bourse deParis (see Euronext), Marche a Terme International de France (MATIF),Marche des Options Negociables de Paris (MONEP), and Nouveau Marché;German exchanges, for example, Baden-Württembergische Wertpapierbörse zuStuttgart, Bayerische Börse (Munich), Berliner Wertpapierbörse (BerlinStock Exchange), Bremer Baumwollbörse (Bremen Cotton Exchange), DeutscheBörse, Hamburger Börse, Neuer Markt, Rheinisch-Westfälische Börse zuDüsseldorf, SMAX (small caps), Warenterminbörse Hannover (CommodityExchange Hannover), and Xetra: an ECN; Russian exchanges, for example,Inter-Republican Universal Commodity Exchange (Offline May 2, 2001),Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange, Moscow Central Stock Exchange,Moscow Stock Exchange, Nijny Novgorod Stock and Currency Exchange,Russian Exchange, Russian Trading System, St. Petersburg FuturesExchange, St. Petersburg Monetary Exchange, St. Petersburg StockExchange, Siberian Interbank Currency Exchange, Siberian Stock Exchange(Under construction), Ural Stock Exchange, and FCSM of RussiaInformation Disclosure Program (Russian EDGAR); The Switzerland SwissExchange; English exchanges, for example, Baltic Exchange, E-Crossnet:an ECN, London Clearing House: an ECN, London International FinancialFutures and Options Exchange, London Metal Exchange, London Securitiesand Derivatives Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and virt-x (formerlyTradepoint Stock Exchange); Australian exchanges, for example, AustraliaAustralian Stock Exchange, Bendigo Stock Exchange, Stock Exchange ofNewcastle, Sydney Futures Exchange; Chinese exchanges, such as,China-Commodity Futures Exchange of Hainan (Offline Jan 2002), DalianCommodity Exchange, Shanghai Futures Exchange, Shanghai Metal Exchange,Shanghai Stock Exchange, Shenzhen Metal Exchange, Shenzhen StockExchange, Tianjin United Futures Exchange, and Zhengzhou CommodityExchange, Chinese Gold & Silver Exchange Society, Growth EnterpriseMarket, and Hong Kong Exchanges (Hong Kong Futures Exchange, StockExchange of Hong Kong); Japanese exchanges, such as, Central JapanCommodity Exchange (Chubu Commodity Exchange, Nagoya Textile Exchange)),Hiroshima Stock Exchange, Fukuoka Futures Exchange, JASDAQ, KanmonCommodity Exchange (Offline January 2002), Kansai Commodities Exchange(Osaka Grain Exchange, Osaka Sugar Exchange, Kobe Grain CommoditiesExchange, and Kobe Raw Silk Exchange), NASDAQ-Japan, Nagoya StockExchange, Osaka Mercantile Exchange (Osaka Textile Exchange, Kobe RubberExchange), Osaka Securities Exchange, Tokyo Commodity Exchange, TokyoGrain Exchange, Tokyo International Financial Futures Exchange, TokyoStock Exchange, and Yokohama Commodity Exchange.

Examples of listed commodities include, but are not limited to, stocks;bonds; futures, such as grain futures, including corn, wheat, barley,and milo; treasury notes; treasury bills; currency; precious metals;derivatives.

As used herein, the phrase “exchange rate” means the price listed by anexchange for a listed commodity at a particular time.

As used herein, the term “bid data” means the bid price a buyer isoffering to purchase a commodity and, optionally, other relevantinformation, such as quantity sought, quality, delivery date, anddelivery place etc.

As used herein, the term “sell data” means the sell price a seller isoffering to sell a commodity and, optionally, other relevantinformation, such as quantity for sale, quality, proposed delivery dateand place etc. A “sell data parcel” is the sell data associated with aparticular seller.

As used herein, the term “purchase commodity” means any commodity that abuyer wishes to buy.

As used herein, the term “hedge commodity” means a listed commodity(listed on an exchange) having a current exchange rate with which abuyer wishes to hedge the buy of the purchase commodity.

6. EXAMPLES 6.1 Example 1

Tables 3.1 to 3.4 illustrate an example where a seller (farmer) seeks tosell 10,000 bushels of grain to various buyers (grain elevators). Thetables show information that might be displayed on the farmer'sinterface 300 according to the invention. The farmer calculates a netsell price based on the costs of growing and harvesting the crop andaccounting for desired profits (in this example $1.80/bushel). Thefarmer logs onto the platform (e.g., Web page) and views data for anumber of buyers including bid price, quantity, and other information.The farmer then selects four buyers (Nos. 001-004) at four differentlocations (in this case grain elevators) for which to place bid data andposts his net sell price of $1.80/bushel and a freight costcorresponding to the particular buyer's location. As indicated by theTables 2.1-2.4, the platform automatically calculates the farmers sellprice by subtracting the freight price from the net price. The platformalso continually calculates and updates the buyer's bid by subtracting abasis from the current value of December grain futures price as listedby the Chicago Board of Trade. Accordingly, the bid price may be raised:(a) by reducing the basis; or (b) the futures market for the commodityincreases to a level such that the bid price matches the selling priceafter subtracting the basis. The software of the invention updates theseller's interface continually.

TABLE 3.1 Grain Seller's Interface At Time 1 Dec. quant. to Buyer No.and net sell Futures buyer's buyer's sell (location) price freight pricePrice basis bid diff. 10,000 001 (Decatur) $1.80 0.02 $1.82 $2.20 $−0.44$1.76 $0.06 10,000 002 (Peoria) $1.80 0.03 $1.83 $2.20 $−0.45 $1.75$0.08 10,000 003 (Faribault) $1.80 0.04 $1.84 $2.20 $−0.46 $1.74 $0.1 10,000 004 (Boise) $1.80 0.01 $1.81 $2.20 $−0.47 $1.73 $0.8  *prices andquantities are in bushels

TABLE 3.2 Grain Seller's Interface At Time 2 Dec. quant. to Buyer No.and net sell Futures buyer's buyer's sell (location) price freight pricePrice basis bid diff. 10,000 001 (Decatur) $1.80 0.02 $1.82 $2.22 $−0.44$1.78 $0.04 10,000 002 (Peoria) $1.80 0.03 $1.83 $2.22 $−0.45 $1.77$0.06 10,000 003 (Faribault) $1.80 0.04 $1.84 $2.22 $−0.46 $1.76 $0.0810,000 004 (Boise) $1.80 0.01 $1.81 $2.22 $−0.47 $1.75 $0.06

TABLE 3.3 Grain Seller's Interface At Time 3 Dec. quant. to Buyer No.and net sell Futures buyer's buyer's sell (location) price freight pricePrice basis bid diff. 10,000 001 (Decatur) $1.80 0.02 $1.82 $2.23 $−0.44$1.79 $0.03 10,000 002 (Peoria) $1.80 0.03 $1.83 $2.23 $−0.45 $1.78$0.05 10,000 003 (Faribault) $1.80 0.04 $1.84 $2.23 $−0.46 $1 77 $0.0710,000 004 (Boise) $1.80 0.01 $1.81 $2.23 $−0.47 $1.74 $0.05

TABLE 3.4 Grain Seller's Interface At Time 4 Dec. quant. to Buyer No.and net sell Futures buyer's buyer's sell (location) price freight pricePrice basis bid diff. 10,000 001 (Decatur) $1.80 0.02 $1.82 $2.26 $−0.44$1.82 $0.00 (sold) 10,000 002 (Peoria) $1.80 0.03 $1.83 $2.26 $−0.45$1.81 $0.02 10,000 003 (Faribault) $1.80 0.04 $1.84 $2.26 $−0.46 $1.80$0.04 10,000 004 (Boise) $1.80 0.01 $1.81 $2.26 $−0.47 $1.79 $0.03

In this example, the grain seller waited for the futures price to riseto a level such that when elevator 001 subtracted his basis at time 4,the bid price and the sell price matched. At time 4, the bid dataconformed to the sell data and both farmer and elevator were notified bye-mail that the farmer was willing to sell and the elevator was willingto buy 10,000 bushels of grain for $1.82/bushel. Simultaneously, buyer001's bid was automatically withdrawn from the view of other sellers andthe buyer 001's hedge transaction was automatically executed.

6.2 Example 2

Tables 4.1-4.4 below illustrate a specific example of information thatmight be displayed on grain elevator 001's interface upon posting anoffer to buy 10,000 bushels of grain on the platform to be delivered inDecatur in October. The elevator chose December grain futures tocalculate his bid price. The platform of the invention automatically andcontinually updates the elevator's bid price by subtracting his basisfrom the current futures price listed by the Chicago Board of Trade.

As a hedge transaction, the elevator instructed the platform to sell afutures contract for 10,000 bushels of grain from a current futuresclearing merchant (for a transaction fee of course) at the Chicago Boardof Trade's futures price at the time a sale is consummated with aseller. The buyer calculated the basis to include the cost of thetransaction fee, storage costs, elevation costs, other operation costs,and his desired profit.

TABLE 4.1 Grain Elevator 001's Interface At Time 1 Seller quantity sellprice Dec. Futures Price elevator's basis buyer's bid diff. A 10,000$1.82 $2.20 $−0.44 $1.76 $0.06 B 10,000 $1.83 $2.20 $−0.44 $1.76 $0.07 C10,000 $1.84 $2.20 $−0.44 $1.76 $0.08 D 10,000 $1.85 $2.20 $−0.44 $1.76$0.09 *Prices and quantities are in bushels

TABLE 4.2 Grain Elevator 001's Interface At Time 2 Seller quantity sellprice Dec. Futures Price elevator's basis buyer's bid diff. A 10,000$1.82 $2.22 $−0.44 $1.78 $0.04 B 10,000 $1.83 $2.22 $−0.44 $1.78 $0.05 C10,000 $1.84 $2.22 $−0.44 $1.78 $0.06 D 10,000 $1.85 $2.22 $−0.44 $1.78$0.07

TABLE 4.3 Grain Elevator 001's Interface At Time 3 Seller quantity sellprice Dec. Futures Price elevator's basis buyer's bid diff A 10,000$1.82 $2.23 $−0.44 $1.79 $0.03 B 10,000 $1.83 $2.23 $−0.44 $1.79 $0.04 C10,000 $1.84 $2.23 $−0.44 $1.79 $0.05 D 10,000 $1.85 $2.23 $−0.44 $1.79$0.06

TABLE 4.4 Grain Elevator 001's Interface At Time 4 Seller quantity sellprice Dec. Futures Price elevator's basis buyer's bid diff. A 10,000$1.82 $2.26 $−0.44 $1.82 $0.00 (sold) B 10,000 $1.83 $2.26 $−0.44 $1.82$0.01 C 10,000 $1.84 $2.26 $−0.44 $1.82 $0.02 D 10,000 $1.85 $2.26$−0.44 $1.82 $0.03

At time 4, the farmer A's sell data conformed to the elevator 001's biddata. Farmer A and elevator 001 were both notified of the conformance bye-mail that farmer A was willing to sell 10,000 bushels of grain for$1.82/bushel to elevator 001 and deliver the grain to elevator 001 inDecatur in October. Simultaneously, the elevator 001's bid wasautomatically withdrawn from the view of farmers B, C, and D. Alsosimultaneously, the elevator 001's hedge was automatically executed tosell a futures contract for 10,000 bushels of grain for $2,24/bushelelectronically through a current futures clearing merchant. The neteffect was that elevator 001 purchased 10,000 bushels of grain for1.82/bushel from farmer “A” for a net cost of $18,200 and sold 10,000bushels of grain at $2.26/bushel (i.e., the hedge futures sell contract)for a gross of $22,600. The difference reflects the basis of $−0.44 or$4,400, which accounts for the elevator's profits and costs.

After purchase of the grain, the grain elevator will likely sell thegrain at the local cash price, realize the profit built into his basis,and buy back his futures contract to sell 10,000 bushels of grain at thecurrent futures price. Optimally, the futures price should track thelocal cash price. Thus, if a sudden fall in the local cash price forgrain at the time the elevator sought to sell the grain, he would behedged by his futures contract.

7. CONCLUSION

From the above description and examples, it is clear that in oneembodiment, the invention is directed to a method for purchasing acommodity comprising:

-   -   (a) providing bid data for the commodity on a network platform,        the bid data provided by a buyer;    -   (b) providing one or more sell data parcels for the commodity on        the network platform, each sell data parcel corresponding to a        particular seller;    -   (c) providing hedge transaction information respecting a listed        hedge commodity, the hedge transaction provided by the buyer;    -   (d) monitoring the bid data and the one or more sell data        parcels;    -   (e) automatically identifying a conforming sell data parcel,        which conforms to the bid data; and    -   (f) automatically executing the buyer's hedge transaction.

In another embodiment, the invention relates to a system for purchasinga commodity comprising:

-   -   (i) a memory storage device;    -   (ii) a processor connected to the storage device;    -   (iii) a program for controlling the processor; wherein the        memory storage device and the processor are operative with the        program to:        -   (a) provide bid data for the commodity on a network            platform, the bid data provided by a buyer;        -   (b) provide one or more sell data parcels for the commodity            on the network platform, each sell data parcel corresponding            to a particular seller;        -   (c) provide hedge transaction information respecting a            listed hedge commodity, the hedge transaction provided by            the buyer;        -   (d) monitor the bid data and the one or more sell data            parcels;        -   (e) automatically identify a conforming sell data parcel,            which conforms to the bid data; and        -   (f) automatically execute the buyer's hedge transaction.

In still another embodiment, the invention is directed to a computerreadable medium encoded with a computer program that causes a systemcomprising a memory storage device and a processor to perform the stepsof:

-   -   (a) providing bid data for the commodity on a network platform,        the bid data provided by a buyer;    -   (b) providing one or more sell data parcels for the commodity on        the network platform, each sell data parcel corresponding to a        particular seller;    -   (c) providing hedge transaction information respecting a listed        hedge commodity, the hedge transaction provided by the buyer;    -   (d) monitoring the bid data and the one or more sell data        parcels;    -   (e) automatically identifying a conforming sell data parcel,        which conforms to the bid data; and    -   (f) automatically executing the buyer's hedge transaction.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detailwith reference to certain preferred embodiments, versions, and Examplesother versions and embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit andscope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description ofthe versions and embodiments expressly disclosed herein.

1. A commodity purchasing system, comprising: a data storage device; aprocessor connected to the data storage device; a plurality of buyerinterfaces, recorded on the data storage device, comprising a set ofpictures, text or voice statements that provide instructions andprotocols that will cause a respective plurality of buyer-operatedcomputers to display to a respective plurality of buyers sell datareceived from a seller, and to receive from the plurality of buyershedge transaction data and bid data, said hedge transaction data foreach buyer including a hedge commodity, and said bid data for each buyerincluding a basis for a desired commodity; a network connection to acommodity exchange that periodically receives a real-time exchange ratequote for the hedge commodity; a bid generating program, comprisingcomputer-readable instructions to cause the processor to periodicallyupdate the bid data for each buyer in the plurality of buyers so thatsaid bid data for said each buyer includes an updated bid price for thedesired commodity, wherein said bid generating program calculates saidupdated bid price by subtracting said each buyer's basis from thereal-time exchange rate quote; a seller interface, recorded on the datastorage device, comprising a set of pictures, text or voice statementsthat provide instructions and protocols that will cause aseller-operated computer to display to the seller the bid data receivedfrom the plurality of buyers, and to receive the sell data from theseller, said sell data including a net sell price for the desiredcommodity and, for each buyer in the plurality of buyers, a transactioncost associated with selling the desired commodity to said each buyer,wherein said transaction cost is based on a cost the seller will incuror avoid in connection with delivering the desired commodity at a timeand a location specified by said each buyer; an offer generatingprogram, comprising computer-readable instructions that cause theprocessor to periodically update the sell data for the seller so thatthe sell data includes a plurality of specific offers for the pluralityof buyers, respectively, each specific offer including a specific sellprice for each buyer, the specific sell price being calculated by addingthe transaction cost associated with said each buyer to the net sellprice; and a conformance monitoring program, comprisingcomputer-readable instructions that cause the processor to periodicallycompare the bid data for each buyer in the plurality of buyers to thespecific offer for said each buyer, and send an alert to the seller anda particular buyer in the plurality of buyers if a conformance isdetected between the bid data for said particular buyer and the specificoffer for said particular buyer; wherein, the processor, operating undercontrol of the conformance monitoring program, detects the conformancewhen (i) the updated bid price in the bid data for the particular buyermatches the specific sell price in the specific offer for the particularbuyer, (ii) a quality specification in the bid data for said particularbuyer matches a quality attribute in the specific offer for theparticular buyer, (iii) a type specification in the bid data for saidparticular buyer matches a type attribute in the specific offer for theparticular buyer, and (iv) a color specification in the bid data forsaid particular buyer matches a color attribute in the specific offerfor the particular buyer.
 2. The commodity purchasing system of claim 1,wherein the hedge commodity and the desired commodity are the same. 3.The commodity purchasing system of claim 1, wherein the seller interfacecomprises an interactive web page.
 4. The commodity purchasing system ofclaim 1, wherein the seller interface comprises an e-mail transmittal.5. The commodity purchasing system of claim 1, wherein the sellerinterface comprises a voice message.
 6. The commodity purchasing systemof claim 1, wherein the plurality of buyer interfaces comprises arespective plurality of interactive web pages.
 7. The commoditypurchasing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of buyer interfacescomprises a respective plurality of e-mail transmittals.
 8. Thecommodity purchasing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of buyerinterfaces comprises a respective plurality of voice messages.
 9. Thecommodity purchasing system of claim 1, wherein the bid generatingprogram, the offer generating program and the conformance monitoringprogram are embodied in one computer program.
 10. The commoditypurchasing system of claim 1, wherein said offer generation program isfurther configured to cause the processor to remove the plurality ofspecific offers from the sell data of the seller responsive to theconformance monitoring program causing the processor to send the alert.11. The commodity purchasing system of claim 1, wherein the alertcomprises one or more e-mail messages.
 12. The commodity purchasingsystem of claim 1, wherein the alert is presented to the seller via theseller interface.
 13. The commodity purchasing system of claim 1,wherein the alert is presented to the particular buyer via a buyerinterface associated with the particular buyer.
 14. The commoditypurchasing system of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of sellerinterfaces, recorded on the data storage device, each comprising a setof pictures, text or voice statements that provide instructions andprotocols that will cause a respective plurality of seller-operatedcomputers to display to a respective plurality of sellers the bid datareceived from the plurality of buyers, and to receive sell data from theplurality of sellers, said sell data including, for each seller, a netsell price for the desired commodity and, for each buyer in theplurality of buyers, the transaction cost associated with selling thedesired commodity to said each buyer; wherein the offer generatingprogram further comprises computer-readable instructions that cause theprocessor to periodically update the sell data for the plurality ofsellers so that the sell data includes, for each seller, a plurality ofspecific offers for the plurality of buyers, respectively, each specificoffer including the specific sell price for each buyer, the specificsell price being calculated by adding the transaction cost associatedwith said each buyer to the net sell price, and the conformancemonitoring program further comprises computer-readable instructions thatcause the processor to periodically compare the bid data for each buyerin the plurality of buyers to the specific offer for said each buyerfrom each seller, and sends an alert to a particular seller in theplurality of sellers and a particular buyer in the plurality of buyersif a conformance is detected between the bid data for said particularbuyer and the particular seller's specific offer for said particularbuyer.
 15. A commodity purchasing system, comprising: a web page server;a central processor; a commodity-purchasing software program, residingon the web page server; a plurality of buyer interface web pages on theweb page server configured to cause a respective plurality ofbuyer-operated computers to display to a respective plurality of buyerssell data received from a seller, and to transmit to the centralprocessor hedge transaction data and bid data received from theplurality of buyers, said hedge transaction data for each buyerincluding a hedge commodity, and said bid data for each buyer includinga basis for a desired commodity; a seller interface web page on the webpage server configured to cause a seller-operated computer to display tothe seller the bid data received from the plurality of buyers, and totransmit to the central processor sell data received from the seller,said sell data including a net sell price for the desired commodity and,for each buyer in the plurality of buyers, a transaction cost associatedwith selling the desired commodity to said each buyer, wherein saidtransaction cost is based on a cost the seller will incur or avoid inconnection with delivering the desired commodity at a time and alocation specified by said each buyer; and a commodity exchange networkconnection that periodically delivers to the central processor areal-time exchange rate quote for the hedge commodity; wherein thecommodity-purchasing software program comprises a set ofcomputer-readable instructions to cause the central processor and webpage server to transmit the plurality of buyer interface web pages tothe plurality of buyer-operated computers and to transmit the sellerinterface web page to the seller-operated computer, periodically updatethe bid data presented by the seller interface web page so that said biddata includes an updated bid price for the desired commodity for eachbuyer in the plurality of buyers, said updated bid price beingcalculated by subtracting said each buyer's basis from the real-timeexchange rate quote, periodically update the sell data presented by theplurality of buyer interface web pages so that the sell data for theseller includes a specific offer for each buyer in the plurality ofbuyers, each specific offer including a specific sell price for saideach buyer, wherein the commodity-purchasing software program calculatesthe specific sell price for said each buyer by adding the transactioncost associated with said each buyer to the net sell price, andperiodically compare the bid data for each buyer in the plurality ofbuyers to the specific offer for said each buyer, and send an alert tothe seller and a particular buyer in the plurality of buyers if aconformance is detected between the bid data for said particular buyerand the specific offer for said particular buyer; wherein, thecommodity-purchasing software program is configured to cause the centralprocessor to detect the conformance when (i) the updated bid price inthe bid data for the particular buyer matches the specific sell price inthe specific offer for the particular buyer, (ii) a qualityspecification in the bid data for said particular buyer matches aquality attribute in the specific offer for the particular buyer, (iii)a type specification in the bid data for said particular buyer matches atype attribute in the specific offer for the particular buyer, and (iv)a color specification in the bid data for said particular buyer matchesa color attribute in the specific offer for the particular buyer. 16.The commodity purchasing system of claim 15, wherein the hedge commodityand the desired commodity are the same.
 17. The commodity purchasingsystem of claim 15, wherein, responsive to the alert, thecommodity-purchasing software program is further configured to cause thecentral processor and the web page server to remove the plurality ofspecific offers from the sell data displayed by the plurality of buyerinterface web pages.
 18. The commodity purchasing system of claim 15,wherein the alert is presented to the seller via the seller interfaceweb page.
 19. The commodity purchasing system of claim 15, wherein thealert is presented to the particular buyer via a buyer interface webpage transmitted to the particular buyer.
 20. The commodity purchasingsystem of claim 15, further comprising: a plurality of seller interfaceweb pages on the web server configured to cause a respective pluralityof seller-operated computers to display to a respective plurality ofsellers the bid data received from the plurality of buyers, and totransmit to the central processor sell data received from the pluralityof sellers, said sell data including, for each seller, a net sell pricefor the desired commodity and, for each buyer in the plurality ofbuyers, a transaction cost associated with selling the desired commodityto said each buyer; wherein the commodity-purchasing software program isfurther configured to cause the central processor and the web pageserver to periodically update the bid data presented by each sellerinterface web page so that said bid data includes an updated bid pricefor the desired commodity for each buyer in the plurality of buyers,wherein said updated bid price is calculated by subtracting said eachbuyer's basis from the real-time exchange rate quote, periodicallyupdate the sell data presented by the plurality of buyer interface webpages so that the sell data on each buyer interface web page includes aplurality of specific offers from said plurality of sellers, eachspecific offer including a specific sell price for said each buyer,wherein the specific sell price for said each buyer is calculated byadding the transaction cost associated with said each buyer to the netsell price, and periodically compare the bid data received from eachbuyer in the plurality of buyers to the specific offer for said eachbuyer received from the plurality of sellers, and send an alert to aparticular seller in the plurality of sellers and a particular buyer inthe plurality of buyers if a conformance is detected between the biddata for said particular buyer and the particular seller's specificoffer for said particular buyer.
 21. A method for purchasing commoditieson a computer system comprising a central processor, a web page serverand a network connection to a commodities exchange, the methodcomprising: using the web page server and the central processor totransmit to a plurality of buyer-operated computers a respectiveplurality of buyer web pages for a respective plurality of buyers, eachbuyer web page being configured to cause the buyer-operated computer todisplay sell data received from a seller and to receive from theplurality of buyers hedge transaction data and bid data, said hedgetransaction data for each buyer including a hedge commodity, and saidbid data for each buyer including a basis for a desired commodity;periodically receiving on the central processor, via the networkconnection to the commodities exchange, a real-time exchange rate quotefor the hedge commodity; using the web page server and the centralprocessor to periodically update the bid data for each buyer in theplurality of buyers so that said bid data for said each buyer includesan updated bid price for the desired commodity, wherein said centralprocessor calculates the updated bid price by subtracting said eachbuyer's basis from the real-time exchange rate quote; using the web pageserver and the central processor to transmit to a seller-operatedcomputer a seller web page configured to cause the seller-operatedcomputer to display the bid data received from the plurality of buyersand to receive from the seller the sell data, said sell data including anet sell price for the desired commodity and, for each buyer in theplurality of buyers, a transaction cost associated with selling thedesired commodity to said each buyer, wherein said transaction cost isbased on a cost the seller will incur or avoid in connection withdelivering the desired commodity at a time and a location specified bysaid each buyer; using the central processor to periodically update thesell data for the seller so that the sell data includes a plurality ofspecific offers for the plurality of buyers, respectively, each specificoffer including a specific sell price for each buyer, wherein thecentral processor calculates the specific sell price by adding thetransaction cost associated with said each buyer to the net sell price;and using the central processor to periodically compare the bid data foreach buyer in the plurality of buyers to the specific offer for saideach buyer to determine whether a conformance exists between the biddata for a particular buyer in the plurality of buyers and the specificoffer for said particular buyer; and if a conformance exists, causingthe central processor to send an electronic alert to the seller-operatedcomputer and the buyer-operated computer for the particular buyer;wherein, the central processor is configured to determine that theconformance exist when (i) the updated bid price in the bid data for theparticular buyer matches the specific sell price in the specific offerfor the particular buyer, (ii) a quality specification in the bid datafor said particular buyer matches a quality attribute in the specificoffer for the particular buyer, (iii) a type specification in the biddata for said particular buyer matches a type attribute in the specificoffer for the particular buyer, and (iv) a color specification in thebid data for said particular buyer matches a color attribute in thespecific offer for the particular buyer.
 22. The method of claim 21,wherein the hedge commodity and the desired commodity are the same. 23.The method of claim 21, further comprising using the web page server toremove the plurality of specific offers from the sell data of the sellerupon sending the electronic alert.
 24. The method of claim 21, whereinsending the electronic alert comprises sending one or more e-mailmessages.
 25. The method of claim 21, wherein sending the electronicalert to the seller comprises sending a notification to the seller viathe seller interface.
 26. The method of claim 21, wherein sending theelectronic alert to the buyer-operated computer comprises modifying thebuyer web page displayed on the buyer-operated computer.
 27. The methodof claim 21, further comprising: using the web page server and thecentral processor to transmit a plurality of seller web pages to arespective plurality of seller-operated computers, each seller web pagebeing configured to cause each seller-operated computer to display thebid data received from the plurality of buyers, and to receive sell datafrom a plurality of sellers, said sell data including, for each seller,a net sell price for the desired commodity and, for each buyer in theplurality of buyers, a transaction cost associated with selling thedesired commodity to said each buyer; using the web page server and thecentral processor to periodically update the sell data for the pluralityof sellers so that the sell data includes, for each seller, a pluralityof specific offers for the plurality of buyers, respectively, eachspecific offer including a specific sell price for each buyer, whereinthe specific sell price is calculated by the central processor by addingthe transaction cost associated with said each buyer to the net sellprice; using the central processor to periodically compare the bid datafor each buyer in the plurality of buyers to the specific offer for saideach buyer from each seller in the plurality of sellers to determine ifa conformance exists between the bid data for said particular buyer anda particular seller's specific offer for said particular buyer; andusing the central processor to send an electronic alert to theseller-operated computer for the particular seller in the plurality ofsellers and the buyer-operated computer for a particular buyer in theplurality of buyers if the central processor determines that saidconformance exists.